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The No. 4 Longhorns have not faced a ranked opponent since facing three in a four-game stretch in late November and early December. That won’t change this week as Texas gears up to play Kansas (5-10, 0-4 Big 12), which sits in last place in the Big 12 conference. Next week, however, the Longhorns host No. 6 Baylor (16-1, 3-1 Big 12). The Longhorns have beaten the Jayhawks in five-straight matchups. Texas will possibly be looking ahead to Sunday’s top-10 bout with Baylor, and Kansas is looking to get the best of the Longhorns for the first time since 2013. On paper, Texas should blow Kansas out. The Longhorns average nearly 18 more points per game than the Jayhawks. But with the Longhorns’ biggest game in conference play looming just days away, the conditions are ripe for Kansas to keep this game close on its home court.

In good company

Texas (15-0, 4-0 Big 12) is just one of three remaining undefeated Division I programs. No. 1 Connecticut — champion of each of the last three seasons — and No. 2 South Carolina have also yet to lose a game. No. 3 Notre Dame is the only other team in front of Texas in the national rankings. The Fighting Irish’s only loss came to Connecticut in early December. Notre Dame has also fallen victim to Connecticut in the last two championship games. The powerhouses in women’s basketball are few and far between. To keep pace with the best and establish itself as a perennial power, Texas must keep winning. That needs to continue on the road in Lawrence.

Owning the glass

The Longhorns have won four-straight games to start conference play. This marks the best start in league play since Texas won its first five Big 12 games in 2003. The Longhorns are outscoring conference opponents by 21.5 points per game thus far. Texas is getting it done not only on the offensive end of the floor, where it averages 76 points per game in league play, but also on the boards. The Longhorns have outrebounded Big 12 opponents by 10.0 rebounds per game. Senior center Imani Boyette has had a double-double in every league game so far, making her the only player in the conference to do so. Boyette will be matched up against Kansas’ 6-foot-3-inch freshman center Chelsea Lott, giving the Longhorns’ 6-foot-7-inch senior yet another advantage on the glass.